Although state Medicaid programs have price controls through rebates paid by the drugmakers, spending on prescription drugs has been growing rapidly, spurred in large part by expensive specialty drugs, such as those used to treat hepatitis C. In addition, reports on Medicaid news from Massachusetts and Iowa.
The Hill:
States Struggle With Rising Medicaid Drug Costs
As prescription drug prices continue to rise, states are struggling to find ways to cover the costs to Medicaid, which could mean unwelcome changes for beneficiaries and health plans. States have implemented policies to prevent spending exorbitant amounts of money on drugs, but as prices continue to rise, experts said some hard decisions will have to be made. States can use tactics like preferred drug lists, prior authorization, and even comparative effectiveness reviews, but those may not be enough if recent pricing trends continue. States could dramatically scale back benefits by doubling down on …
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